It was the worst kept secret in the Isuzu UTE A-League last week, but Morgan Schneiderlin officially put pen to paper as Western Sydney Wanderers’ newest acquisition.
The 33-year-old-midfielder signed on a short-term loan deal with Marko Rudan’s side for the rest of the season, after a career playing at the highest level in both England and France – for the likes of Southampton, Manchester United, Everton and most recently Nice.
When looking at the 15-time French international’s resume, it’s easy to see why Wanderers fans can get excited about his arrival – given what he has achieved over the best part of a decade. But his arrival has also raised a number of questions.
What sort of player will the Wanderers be getting and what version of Schneiderlin is arriving at Wanderland? How does Schneiderlin best fit into Marko Rudan’s side?
What sort of player is Schneiderlin?
At his best, Schneiderlin was your typical all-action midfielder.
The Frenchman burst onto the scene at Southampton as a dynamic eight, a box-to-box midfielder who can essentially do it all on both ends of the ground – playing an integral role in their promotion to the Premier League in 2012 and their rise up the table in the years that followed.
KEEPUP’s Tom Smithies explained how his best work came under Mauricio Pochettino who gave him the license to get forward and utilise his creative mind in attacking phases of play in a double pivot alongside Victor Wanyama.
READ: WHY MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN MIGHT NOT BE THE PLAYER YOU THINK HE IS
“Yes, Schneiderlin tackled and harried, but his value lay in the ground he covered, the energy he brought to the team and the chances he helped to create,” Smithies said.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, Schneiderlin really thrived; a coach he has said since who allowed him to play creatively, to play with instinct, and tailor his role to the dynamics of a particular game. That intuition was part of the reason France called him up and why he earned 15 caps for Les Bleus.
However, as time has gone on, the French midfielder was shifted to playing a deeper role as a No.6 at all three of the following clubs he’s played at – most notably at United under Louis Van Gaal – where he felt restricted by the Dutch coach who he felt didn’t allow him to play on instinct.
Most recently, during his time at Nice, Schneiderlin has gone from a regular squad member under Patrick Viera – who brought him across from Everton in 2020 – to seeing his minutes decrease last season.
Under Viera, Adrian Ursea and then Christophe Galtier’s tutelage, Schneiderlin was used more often than not in a double pivot or even at times in the heart of defence – with his role shifting significantly from where he was playing almost a decade ago.
As a result, his defensive output far outweighed his attacking contributions.
According to Opta, in 48 appearances, Schneiderlin tallied 73 interceptions, 72 tackles and won possession 206 times – but only logged one assist, 17 chances created and 371 total carries over two seasons.
Now, it just remains to be seen whether Wanderers coach Rudan subscribes to the same train of thought his previous bosses had when it came to utilising Schneiderlin and what role he visualises the Frenchman playing in his side.
Is he ready to go this week?
Thre most pressing question is what sort of shape Schneiderlin has arrived in. He hasn’t played a minute of senior football since May 2022, after he was deemed surplus to requirements by Nice’s new sporting director Florent Ghisolfi – with the 33-year-old even being left out of their mid-season training camp in Marbella, Spain.
But according to both the man himself and Rudan, Schneiderlin is ready to go this weekend against Western United on Sunday afternoon – having kept himself fit through reserves matches and in training.
“I want to play as soon as possible. Obviously the last two months I haven’t played a lot,’ he told Network 10 at half-time of their clash with Central Coast Mariners.
“I feel ready. I kept myself in shape and I will train all week, and after that it’s the manager’s decision. But I’m ready to play next week.”
Rudan echoed those statements post-game, saying he plans to get his new signing in from the off against United after registering impressive numbers in his initial fitness testing last Saturday.
“A wealth of experience, leadership which is something we really need. Someone that is cool and calm on the ball which is what I was looking for as well… A real leader in there that can control the game and that’s what he provides,” Rudan said of Schneiderlin.
“The amount of respect he’s got in the dressing room was incredible when he came in. Fantastic guy, knows that he’s got to do well if he wants to stay longer but pedigree, it’s up there.
He looks really fit, he hasn’t played games and I get that… but he’s been playing games in the intra-games, reserve games and stuff like that to be match-fit. I’m looking at probably starting him next week.
“We will see how it progresses but he had a fitness test. Great numbers today in terms of his running ability so he’s really driven, motivated. It’s really hard to get someone of his ilk to come here just until the end of the season with wanting to stay longer and that’s his aim so we had a lot of chats before it happened.
“He’s going to be great.”
Schneiderlin in the Wanderers set-up
Now let’s look ahead. Where does Schneiderlin fit in the Wanderers XI?
When he was announced, there was some questioning as to whether Western Sydney needed to bring in another midfielder and if his minutes would come at the expense of Calem Niewuenhof’s playing time.
But will that be the case? Maybe not. For the most part, the Wanderers have adopted a double pivot in midfield with Nieuwenhof occupying the No.6 role and one of Romain Amalfitano or Oliver Bozanic playing alongside him as the No.8.
The most tantalising prospect is seeing Schneiderlin play alongside the red-hot Nieuwenhof, but who occupies what role in the double pivot remains the question.
The former Sydney FC midfielder’s numbers tell the story of just how integral he’s been on both sides of the ball, winning possession 119 times, laying 62 tackles, completing 667 passes at 85% accuracy and having 175 total carries in just 14 games.
It’s form that has him right among the best midfielders in the competition this season – with Mariners coach Nick Montgomery even suggesting a Socceroos call-up might be on the way.
This might in fact open up the door for Schneiderlin to return to his roots and play further forward – and given Rudan’s comments about his fitness levels, he may be able to take on such a role from the off.
His position in the midfield tandem might also further solidify their already formidable defensive unit – but also give them a little more imagination going forward at the same time should he rediscover what he was able to do at the Saints.
On top of that, Rudan said he wants his side to have more control in midfield and to dictate proceedings more than they have this season (50% possession average) – which he believes the Frenchman can help them do.
However, it does leave the question as to what this means to his midfield counterparts.
In recent weeks, Bozanic has played further forward as a No.10 due to Milos Ninkovic’s injury troubles – but the Serbian dynamo has since returned, creating a further dilemma given the former’s rich vein of form – scoring three goals in eight games.
There’s also Amalfitano, who has largely played with Nieuwenhof deeper, but Rudan had since revealed that the former is in fact playing out of position – saying he actually brought him to play as a winger this season.
“He’s (Bozanic) done well there. He’s getting himself some opportunities, he’s getting himself some goals as well,” Rudan said of Bozanic playing further up.
“We’re really pleased with him in that area… Romain (Amalfitano) has been filling a void. Oli was out for a long time and Romain I brought him in as a winger and he’s been really good for us in the middle of the park.
But Morgan (Schneiderlin) will suit us and allow us to put these players further forward. There’s a real competition for places now in that top third so things are looking okay, the spine looks okay.”
Given Brandon Borrello, and, when fit, Kusini Yengi’s form as the two wide players – the dilemma becomes greater for Rudan.
It’s still a position of strength as the Wanderers’ midfield depth is not only stacked in the deep-lying roles but further up the pitch.
And who said competition for places is a bad thing?
Now, all eyes turn to Sunday afternoon and how the Wanderers first utilise Schneiderlin and what the flow-on effect is of his arrival – both from how they line-up and how that affects their performances on the field.
Nonetheless, his signing has left Rudan with a Swiss-Army knife of options in midfield and, potentially, attack too.
